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WWE NXT has consistently been delivering great shows, and this week’s show topped every other one with some great segments and bookings.
The new NXT and NXT North American Champion was in the ring early during the night and spoke about what it felt to be the first Double Champion. He then booked his first title defense himself with the approval of NXT General Manager, Willian Regal.
Two of NXT’s biggest heels, Cameron Grimes and Damian Priest, looked to settle their differences once and for all, while Robert Stone continued to look for recruits for his Robert Stone Brand.
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Timothy Thatcher has been out to rip arms off his opponents and that is exactly what the newest heel looked to do before being chased away.
Io Shirai and Tegan Nox put on a great performance to end the show, while Lee found a few men who could challenge him next for his two titles.
In this article, we will look at the five things WWE got right on this week’s episode of NXT.
#5 Timothy Thatcher and his ruthless streak on WWE NXT
Timothy Thatcher arrived in WWE NXT amidst a lot of fanfare and the ruthless Superstar got a great initial storyline as he was paired with then NXT Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle right away. Thatcher was given a great few matches before he turned on Riddle.
After that big moment and rivalry, it feels like NXT hasn’t done justice to Thatcher, especially since the secondary Champion of the brand was put into a rivalry with the top Champion.
This week, Thatcher looked to hurt more people as he mocked Oney Lorcan and tortured a student by putting him in a Fujiwara armbar and not letting go. He took on Denzel Dejournette and even though the lesser-known Superstar tried to get some offense in, he fell to Thatcher’s ruthlessness.
A Boston Crab was all it took for Thatcher to win the match with a quick tap-out victory, and the heel looked to do more damage following the match. However, Lorcan arrived and sent him running to show that he was still interested in showing Thatcher who’s the better Superstar.
This was a decent way to put Thatcher in the middle and a great way to put Lorcan in the center of one of the biggest rivalries of his career. He is an extraordinary Superstar who could turn out to be the breakout star for NXT from this rivalry even if he goes on to lose.
#4 Damian Priest aims for the top of WWE NXT once again
Another chapter in Damian Priest and Cameron Grimes’ rivalry on NXT was set to be written as both men tried to prove who’s the bigger heel in the middle of the ring.
Grimes once again tried to pick up an early victory like he initially used to do, but things were not that simple with Priest in the ring. He took The Technical Savage out with a few big kicks and then hit the Razor’s Edge on the ring apron.
Grimes got back into the match and tried to keep the pace up to outsmart the bigger match, but The Archer of Infamy was in much better shape this week to slow Grimes down with a big kick. He then hit The Reckoning on Grimes from the second rope and pinned him clean to pick up the victory.
After the match, The Archer of Infamy made it clear that he wanted to come for the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship once again, even though we’ve seen him fail a few times.
This was a good match between the heels and we hope that it was the last one to end this rivalry. Interestingly, Priest wants to go after Lee again. We've already seen him try to take out The Limitless One a few times before and fail so it'll be intriguing to see how this pans out.
#3 The brilliant NXT and NXT North American Championship match
The big man of WWE NXT had a big plan this week as the combined NXT and North American Champion Keith Lee walked out to the middle to kick off the night. Lee spoke about his victory and his greatness before telling the NXT Universe that he would put his NXT and North American Championship on the line against his friend Dominik Dijakovic later in the night.
This was a bit surprising as Dijakovic had been missing from television for some time and rumors were suggesting that he would move to WWE RAW soon. He had even been tweeting photos from Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio’s current rivalry to ignite some speculation.
The two men met in the ring just an hour later to put on another masterclass. This match turned out to be brilliant. The fact that we've seen these two Superstars clash a lot of times in the past didn't take anything away from what we were seeing in the ring.
Both the giants used their power and agility to their advantage and Dijakovic seemed extremely focused through the course of the match.
While the challenger got a few near falls, Lee was able to hit the Big Bang Catastrophe to register a successful title defense against his friend. The two men hugged after the match to show how close they’d gotten to one another in NXT.
This was a great match and a great first title defense for Lee. If Dijakovic was certainly moving to another brand, then this would’ve been the perfect send-off match for the big man. It will be great to see where Dijakovic will head to after already competing in a few Championship matches in NXT.
#2 Karrion Kross’ looming threat over the entire WWE NXT roster
While the NXT Universe believed that the night was over for Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic, WWE’s new heel couple had other plans for the two big men.
After the match, Lee stood in the ring as the lights went out and Scarlett walked down the ramp, just like she had a few weeks ago to send a message to then-NXT Champion, Adam Cole.
She scattered the shattered remains of the hourglass that were meant for Cole but broken by Lee and sent a message loud and clear without uttering a single word. Lee did not seem afraid, but he most probably is not ready for what’s to come next.
Backstage, Dijakovic confronted Karrion Kross who looked to intimidate the larger man and laid him out to make another statement. The two men are now scheduled to compete next week on WWE NXT, and we can expect a one-sided match looking at Kross’s current red-hot streak.
While many would argue that NXT is moving too fast and giving Lee his biggest possible challenger too soon, it could turn out to be in the best interest of the brand as we’ve seen NXT hit top gear since NNXT TakeOver: In Your House and give us some top-quality action.
If Kross manages to lay Dijakovic out and possibly send him to the emergency room, then the rivalry between him and Lee will become a lot more personal.
#1 The WWE NXT Women’s Champion lays out one challenger and immediately finds another
Just a couple of years ago, women main-eventing the night and closing out a show was considered to be a big thing. Now though, it seems like WWE is more than happy to let its female talent headline as many shows as possible as they have learned to deliver each and every time. This week’s WWE NXT was no different as the NXT Women’s Championship match between Io Shirai and Tegan Nox was set to end the night.
While Nox was no match for Shirai’s technical abilities, she still showed a lot of fight and tried to take advantage with her quick pace. However, The Joshi Judas was well aware of what Nox was trying to achieve and slowed her down with some big blows.
A missed spot for Shirai outside the ring sent her into the steel steps and allowed Nox to get back in control for some time. She managed to hit a chokeslam later on but could only get a near fall.
The action continued for a while until Shirai survived Nox’s best offenses and then hit her with her signature moonsault to pick up the victory and retain her title.
After the match, Dakota Kai laid out Shirai as she celebrated on the stage, signaling towards her next rivalry for the title.
This was a very good match and Shirai did extremely well to put Nox over. Nox is very talented and she needed this match to show just how good she can be when given the chance.
As for Kai, she could be the best candidate to put The Joshi Judas over and help her become a huge babyface on NXT.
